Live the Life in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is the type of place where you can "Love the Moment" all year round. In the summer, enjoy never-ending sunshine and outdoor activities every day, and in the winter, escape the cold weather for some beach relaxation. There's so much to do - bike ride or take a run along leaisurely trails, ride the waves on a surfboard, wade into welcoming waters, or try your hand at sport fishing. Virginia Beach boasts a lovely 3-mile boardwalk perfect for taking a stroll, strapping on some rollerblades, hopping on your bike or just people watching. It's time you visited!

With more than 18,600 acres of nature in two state parks and a wildlife refuge, over 121 navigable miles of waterways and 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches, visitors can enjoy a variety of landscapes for exploring the great outdoors. Bike through First Landing State Park, Virginia’s most visited state park. For a more challenging aquatic adventure, go kayaking to observe bottlenose dolphins as they feed, tail slap and jump among the ocean’s waves. Or, experience a False Cape Escape offered by Surf & Adventure Company. The four-hour retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. with a tram ride on the Blue Goose Express that takes you through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park to the beach where stations of stand-up paddleboards and surfboards, a yoga instructors and a massage therapist await – all with the beautiful backdrop of False Cape’s undeveloped beach.

New to Virginia Beach this summer is Cirquesa Dreamquest, a two-hour extravaganza which features a childhood magical journey told through high-level aerial acts, acrobatics and breathtaking displays of theatrics. The show is held in three large Italian-style tents on Atlantic Avenue and 3rd Street near Rudee Inlet. Performances this summer will run through September 2, 2013 on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. A matinee will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and a 2 p.m. show will be offered on Thursdays and Sundays. Also, be sure to check out the new exhibit this summer at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Contemporary Magic: A Tarot Deck Art Project which was rated the #2 must-see exhibit of the season by The Huffington Post. Visitors also can explore pieces from renowned sculptor Brian Dettmer, or watch a dream-like, open-ended narrative that is both eerie and beautiful in the film Night Hunter in which artist Stacey Steers stitched together images of early silent film actress Lillian Gish with 18th century engravings to create over 4,000 hand-made collages for the film.

After a day full of activity, it’s time to reward yourself with an amazing meal. Coastal cuisine is our forte - a rich culinary style with fresh seafood from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay mixed with organic produce straight from local Virginia Beach farms. This unique combination means the city’s nearly 300 restaurants, many locally-owned and operated; regularly serve fresh ingredients indigenous to our region. Some of the region’s specialties and local favorites include crab cakes, grilled mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna, she-crab soup and striped bass (better known as “Rock Fish”). In fact, due to the abundance of striped bass, Virginia Beach is known as the “Striped Bass Capital of the World.” Virginia Beach also is famous for its Lynnhaven oysters. Holding historical significance, Lynnhaven oysters fed America’s earliest settlers and once were coveted around the world, served to presidents and royalty for their size, saltiness and gentle zing. Today, striped bass and Lynnhaven oysters are considered to be a local delicacy and are served in some of Virginia Beach’s best dining establishments by some of the resort city’s finest chefs.

Enjoy a night out at The Town Center of Virginia Beach and explore 17 city blocks of dining, shopping and entertainment or slurp the saltiness of your first oyster at one of the many local restaurants overlooking Virginia Beach’s waters. Visitors also can explore Virginia Beach through a three-hour neighborhood-style food tour – the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and Beyond Tour. This tour takes you from the famous strip that has beckoned vacationers for decades to the serene Rudee Inlet, boasting some of the best off-the-beaten-path restaurants in the city. Or, check out one of the many cultural celebrations, live musical performances, action-packed events and diverse festivals that take place throughout the year in Virginia Beach, bringing the sights, sounds and flavors of the world to the oceanfront.

Virginia Beach is an accommodating destination, with more than 12,000 hotel rooms, more than 1,800 campsites and several hundred vacation homes for rent – most with ocean or bay-front views. For more information, visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com or call 1-800-VA-BEACH.